Until We Meet Again
by MissMary
Summary: Story from the Prometheus AU- Sam and Optimus meet again, with Jetfire's observations thrown in.


This is a story based on my story Prometheus. In the last chapter, I said if anyone had ideas for a filler story, to let me know. I had in mind filling in two lives that were not detailed already in the story, but Hobbitstown asked for a filler story with Sam meeting Optimus again. I decided to give it a try- Hope you like the result.

I wish I owned Transformers, but I don't.

**Until we meet again**

Time had little meaning here.

The seven Primes existed, but only major events stirred them, when there was someone or something that could break through to the dimension that they existed. When Hot Rod became Rodimus Prime was one such time; he was as sensitive to power as anyone they had met since the boy. With great effort, they could reach him. With great effort, they gave him as much ability and power as they could without the possession of a Matrix, using the ancient artifact he found. It was not strong enough to activate all the abilities of a Prime, and it crumbled after he absorbed the power, but it was enough that the Autobots knew him as one, and that served for the time. With the humans, with their ability to adapt and their creativity, and with the other races they encountered in this new area of space, it was enough to begin a period of growth that all the races needed.

After the Alliance defeated the Fallen, the means to get through came again, and they got a message to him. In response, he sent a team to Earth, and events began to unfold.

Optimus, the seventh Prime, waited. While time held little meaning, he did always know when Sam was going to appear. He remembered when he saw the boy the first time here. They came at the same time, but Sam was pulled back.

Since then, he kicked and screamed and begged to stay, to be at peace. They would explain, he would agree- though the last few times he had argued fiercely, desperately wanting surcease from the endless cycle he was caught in. They would take his memory of them again, and send him back to the body the All-Spark was able to remake, with all the memories and experience from his prior human lives to sustain him.

There had been some time between the first and second, and the second and third arrivals. The rest, all spent in slavery to the Decepticons, came too close together. They always allowed Sam to describe his life, and they soothed him. It sometimes haunted Optimus that the humans on Earth were suffering while the Alliance was gathering strength and momentum.

But the moment Sam fell into his hand and Optimus saw that the fragile human neck was broken, he lost all his strength and resolution. This young life was destroyed while trying to help him, and all he could do was be sure that the Cube he died to protect would not be used again either the humans or the Autobots.

Sam was not dead yet when Optimus pressed the Cube and what he thought was a body into his chest. But when he arrived in the stillness of this dimension, Sam was with him, frightened and bewildered but soothed by its peace.

This was not the Matrix. The Matrix would not accept him or the other Primes who took their own lives to stop an evil. That kind of death was regarded as an escape from their responsibilities. Only when the problem that was not solved was resolved would they go on. Here, however, was peace and tranquility, and they could sometimes sense the outside world and help those who desperately needed them.

Sam absorbed the All-Spark. Sam had to return and find a way to remake it before it would leave him. And so they helped him, encouraged him, removed his memories of anything but his human lives, and watched him return.

And so Optimus waited.

_Alliance Headquarters_

"There are two pieces of the All-Spark on Earth, but they must be reunited to be truly functional. One is known to the Decepticons. One is hidden in plain sight, but in danger of being discovered."

Rodimus Prime looked at Sparkplug and Ratchet. "That is what I was told, and this is the riddle of its location. I have sent it to the sleeper on Earth. He will contact you if he can. Report the condition of the humans on Earth as you see them, find out what you can on the All-Spark, and get that information back."

_On Earth_

One moment they were in the med bay, and the next in Canada. When the collar was off Sam and the restraints off Ratchet, they were somewhere else, this time hot. "Petra." Jetfire said shortly. "We need to find the Matrix of Leadership, and it's somewhere around here. Rodimus sent me a riddle, and I got that far, but that's all I know, I'm hoping that-"He broke off. Sam was already investigating a crack in the ancient ruins. Jetfire watched the white-haired human go into the crack in the wall. What in Primus's name was going on with that human?

Sam emerged not long afterward with a gloriously curved and filigreed piece of metal, carrying it and the computer awkwardly. The metal glowed. When Jetfire went to take the metal, Sam stepped back, shaking his head, and gave the computer to Ratchet. Then he made gesture with his hands to Ratchet. "They told me I have to give it to a Prime," Ratchet translated for Jetfire.

"What?" Jetfire demanded. "Who told you?" Then he remembered the report that came directly from Rodimus Prime, and knew where the piece of the All-Spark in plain sight was. Soundwave must have guessed. They had to get out of here NOW. Even knowing that the trip would strain every bit of power he had, he snapped at Ratchet, "Never mind that, no time. Com your ship, fast, and get me coordinates, I'm good for one more and then I'll have to recharge. We don't dare wait long. Soundwave was planning to take the young one here when I came in. He wanted me to record something for him; that's why I got the time with you when I did, he arranged it."

Years ago, Jetfire knew that something odd was going on the moment he got the video of the destruction of the last human base and saw the ceremonious way Megatron claimed the human. It took a lot of searching to find the information, but when he found it, his processor almost shorted. This male human was the perfect copy of the boy who was in Optimus' hand when he thrust the Cube into his chest. Speaking to the patrols that helped find the feral slave, and to Soundwave, Jetfire pieced most of the information together and came to several conclusions.

One was that there were several families of humans somewhere, and this one left them for some reason and found what must have looked like an excellent place to settle. The base, despite being abandoned for most of two centuries, was still structurally intact and still held clothes and food and survival gear. Jetfire reached into his memories, and remembered that when the humans built those bases, they built them with all the information-by that time, considerable- of how to hide them from Decepticon searches and with every means known to keep essentials available to those who might need them over long lengths of time.

When Jetfire did not hear of Megatron ordering a hunt for more feral humans, he discarded this possibility. Another was that the human was an abandoned slave who was clever enough to learn to survive, given the resources at the base. Questioning the patrol, who talked about the trap the human made to get food animals and how he avoided the patrols, and Jetfire knew that the possibilities were extremely remote. The last possibility was equally remote, until Jetfire met the slave.

The Master came himself on a visit, bringing the once-feral human with him. Megatron put him down and Jetfire waved permission for the human to wander in the human machines he painstakingly restored in his free time. The two Decepticons were startled by several sudden noises, quickly stopped, until Jetfire investigated and saw that Sam managed to get several of the machines to work, including an ancient human computer and one of the tiny recording devices.

As soon as Jetfire saw Sam navigate the computer, he knew that there was something odd about the human. No human slave in this day and age would have the most remote notion of what a computer was for. Sam did not figure it out; he already knew. Jetfire gave him the 'toys' with the approval of Megatron and considered how he was going to make this report without sounding like an idiot.

Jetfire knew the other bases were long since scavenged by humans in the Resistance. Looking back, he marveled that the organization lasted as long as it did, and just how close they came to wiping out the Decepticon presence on Earth. The last few waves of Decepticons honestly believed that the humans they fought in space were descendents of the human slaves here who developed civilization because of the Autobots.

Observing the behavior of the human slaves and their supervisors, Jetfire encouraged that belief. If the supervisors believed that human slaves were not threats, then they tended to see them as resources to be used and protected, and not potential threats that needed to be eliminated at the first sign of aggression.

Starscream was a scientist before he became the Air Commander. His observations of humans, while cruel and derogatory, were nevertheless accurate. Using these and ongoing experience of the race, the Decepticons perfected the methods they used to keep slaves productive at the smallest cost and least threat.

Humans wanted to group together in mutual support. Their entire society was built around some kind of family unit for the raising and training of children, after which there were structures for mutual survival. This was the means by which humans had developed civilization. Therefore, humans were kept from forming family ties of any kind, and they were moved from one place to another to avoid forming strong bonds with other slaves or with supervisors. All human males went through at least one year in the mines. Most that did not survive were the weaker and the more aggressive. Those that did survive might stay with one group or supervisor for the rest of their lives, until they died. By the end of a stint in the mines, they were completely conditioned to obedience to the Decpticons.

Mot females were bred five or six times, never to the same male twice. They never cared for their own children; infertile females worked in the crèches. If they survived being bred, they normally worked in the factories until they died.

Sometimes within the group, a human would survive long enough that he developed infirmaries. There were instances when the group would make arrangements so that the infirm human could survive longer. Sometimes the human was skilled enough that the supervisor would quietly encourage the group to support the elder.

But most of the time, if such behavior was noted, usually by another supervisor, the humans would be taken away and mercifully killed. The members of the group were usually told that the elder was transferred to an easier duty.

Jetfire remembered being approached by one supervisor to make the kill for him. "He's been with me a long time, and he's good at the wiring," the supervisor said, "but he can't keep up anymore. I need someone who'll do it quick."

Jetfire took the human away. He told the supervisor that he killed the human with one blow and destroyed the remains. The supervisor was grateful. Instead of killing the slave, Jetfire set him to making the wiring repairs in his toys. No longer needing to keep up with the younger and stronger men, or do hard labor, Sharp thrived for another full decade before he died peacefully in his sleep. Jetfire researched his records when he died. Sharp was fifty.

Jetfire remembered being awakened by a Decepticon and talking to Megatron. That worthy had no idea of Jetfire's desertion, believing that Jetfire simply went into stasis in alt mode when he became energon-deprived. Jetfire became his archivist, not fighting because he was not really able, and Megatron did need someone to handle paperwork. Jetfire established a contact with great effort, and fed whatever information he could into it. He had watched humans develop, and pitied them, though he could do little for them, as their civilization fell into chaos and then into slavery.

He had standing instructions from the Prime that if someone was captured and he could manage a rescue, he was to do so, even if he had to sacrifice his cover. . He should have warned Rodimus not to send a medic, because any medic was a capture target- the Decepticons desperately needed one. He got the message that Rodimus sent to help the search party of at all possible to find the artifact that the vision told him of, and wondered what the piece of the Allspark that was in plain sight was. He managed to get the location of the artifact pinned down to Petra, but where?

So they sent, of all people, Ratchet, known to be one of the best medics in Autobot history, and of course his fellow Decepticons did absolutely everything they could to grab him. Jetfire immediately put in a request to see him. When he got there, he thought that Primus must be intervening directly for him. Sam was there as well. Megatron put his two most valued possessions together to be more easily guarded, knowing that Ratchet would ensure the human was cared for.

But Soundwave was coming. As soon as Jetfire had his hands on both of them, they were gone.

_The Primes_

Sam appeared, but this time- this was different. Sam was not dead. He was very much alive, carrying a flat box and looking around. He could see the bodies of the Primes. He searched, and found the Matrix. Optimus waited for it to crumble. It did not; instead it glowed- and now Sam was with him.

"Optimus?" he said, and then put a hand on his throat. "I can talk-" Understanding came. Sam remembered them now.

"For the moment," Optimus said swiftly. "You must get to Rodimus Prime, and give him the Matrix. Only he and you can touch it, do you understand?" Sam nodded.

"Due to your sacrifice in trying to protect the Cube, you have earned the right to take the Matrix to Rodimus. Tell him that two halves must meet to make a whole. He will understand. He will protect you, as will the others in the Alliance once they realize who you are. Rodimus will explain. Will you do this for me?"

"I will. When can I come back to stay, Optimus? I haven't seen one of my own kind in years. I still can't talk. Please-"

It was so hard to refuse him. "Events are in motion, Sam. There are humans in space, and they will give you a voice. You will only remember what I asked you to remember. You will know the Prime when you see him. Have hope, little one."

Sam wiped tears away. "All right."

Optimus sent him away again.

_In space_

On the ship, Jetfire saw another human, wearing a space adapted suit including an oxygen mask, who grabbed Sam and shoved a similar mask over his face before pulling him into a human sized door. "You have humans on this ship?" he asked, amazed. As he spoke, the human came out and Jetfire saw a red jumpsuit and black hair as he went into another door, still human sized.

"All deep space ships have a human engineer," Sparkplug said, and thereafter ignored the archivist as he barked orders and got the ship moving. "Willie, are you in position, and where did you put Sam?"

"Yes, and in my quarters. Engines are good. I'm strapped in." Willie said briskly. Jetfire was amazed for a moment. A human dared to talk to a Cybertronian as an equal? "Does the new guy know what to do?"

"He's never been in space," Ratchet warned, already pulling Jetfire to the door as Sparkplug issued orders and worked with his crew. The whine of engines was building.

"Okay, I'll tell him what to do. Later!" Willie's com cut off. Jetfire waited for the explosion. Ratchet just shook his head and pulled Jetfire to the med bay with him.

"He said that all deep space vessels have a human engineer? Why?" Jetfire asked. He was having a hard time adjusting to the idea that a human could learn engineering for deep space ships, but he could understand that some humans were geniuses for their own kind. But an engineer for all deep space ships?

"There are a lot more humans than Autobots," Ratchet said, as if stating the obvious. "Even though humans who can learn the engineering aren't exactly common, there are still more of them than there are of us. So we screen actively for children with the abilities to develop those skills, and encourage them to specialize in the space engineering. Willie is the best; normally he's on the Prime's ship, but he volunteered to help for this trip, just like I did. He's also the child of a very dear friend of mine, a medic who is better with human surgery and care than I am. We can build smaller ships that way, too." Jetfire was silent. "What?" Ratchet prodded, exasperated. Just then the ship began to lurch.

"They kept humans from you except for Sam, didn't they?" Jetfire said.

Ratchet nodded. "Sometimes the patients talked, and Sam told me quite a bit. He said that humans were to the Decepticons what domestic animals were to humans."

"Very good analogy," Jetfire said, surprised. He showed Sam the hologram of Megatron destroying the last human base and taking possession of Sam. "Megatron will demand Sam back. Soundwave guessed what I think both you and I suspected that Sam holds part of the All-Spark. He sent me to you for repairs and was on his way to get Sam so I could witness that he had done so. That's part of why I was in such a hurry."

Ratchet did as much work as he could on Jetfire, with the ship moving. When they were clear, Sparkplug contacted Ratchet and set up a meeting when the ship was 'aired." The air warmed the place, to Jetfire's relief, and soon after the humans appeared. Willie seemed to chattering to Sam in great animation, but by the end of the meeting he was grim. Sam, on the other hand, was smiling with great relief. Jetfire backed up his statements, as Sam actually expressed the situation as well as he could. He hated giving Sam that order, but the demonstration did more to prove their point than any words would have.

He witnessed and recorded the meeting between Sam and Rodimus Prime. It was an experience he was to treasure.

He saw Sam with the human engineer Willie often. Willie was fiercely protective of Sam, and he was also well known to all the crews of the probes and the _Scout_. No one could miss how Sam became frightened and wary around Autobots he did not know. The Autobots, having seen the way humans were treated, tried to reassure him. But when Sam came onto the bridge where Rodimus was, he did not hesitate for a moment. He walked up to Rodimus and when that worthy knelt to his level, placed the artifact in his hand.

It glowed, and they were all still as Rodimus absorbed the matrix. Then Rodimus said something to Sam, who turned to look behind him. His face lit up with an expression that Jetfire had never seen in a human- joy. Then he ran to Bumblebee, who had already knelt to catch him up, his hands moving in the graceful moves that practiced sign language was. Jetfire turned to Ratchet. "You have to give me the download for that language," he demanded.

"It's in the library," Ratchet said absently, and followed Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Sam.

Jetfire did not see Sam again until he returned to Earth. He brought all the information in the Library with him, to supplement his archives, and he promised to send all the archives to the human who ran the Library.

He met Sam there. Sam was no longer a skinny young man with haunted eyes. He was a calm, charismatic leader, from whom the All-Spark peaked at times. Jetfire had to approve how well the upgrade of Earth was going.

He was one of the witnesses when Sam created the new Cube-and went into it. He included the memory when he sent updated files to the Library.

_The Primes_

Optimus was waiting for Sam again, but as soon as Sam appeared, the seventh Prime knew that something was different.

"It's over," Sam told him. Sam was dead this time, but he was not in pain.

"What is over?" all of them asked.

"The Cube is remade. The Matrix of Leadership is where it needs to be. We have all fulfilled our duties. It's time to go on. I was sent by the All-Spark to tell you. "

"Where will you go?" they all asked.

"I am part of the All-Spark now," he told them. "I agreed. " Then he added, softly, "It is peaceful there, like here, and I will serve a purpose."

With that, one at a time, the Primes were gone. Sam looked at the dimension one last time, and returned.

And it was gone.


End file.
